Guide to the Leon E. Truesdell papers, 1882-1973

(bulk 1902-1970)

Series 1. Inventory by Leon E. Truesdell
Box 1, Folder 1
This series contains Truesdell’s typewritten inventory of the papers as he had organized them and his notes about their contents.

Series 2. Correspondence regarding published works
Boxes 1-2
This series includes material, chiefly correspondence, related to both books and articles written by Truesdell between 1924 and 1965. The material in Subseries D. Proposed farm census of Puerto Rico 1945 and Subseries E. Puerto Rico correspondence after 1940 was included here by Truesdell because it was so closely related to his work on the Census of Puerto Rico in 1935.

Subseries A. Farm Tenancy in the United States
Box 1, Folder 2
This subseries contains material concerning a 1924 book co-authored by Truesdell entitled Farm Tenancy in the United States: An Analysis of the 1920 Census Relative to Farms Classified by Tenure. Most of the material in this subseries consists of correspondence between Truesdell and his co-author E.A. Goldenweiser.

Subseries B. Farm Population in the United States
Box 1, Folder 3
This subseries contains correspondence and a supplementary manuscript related to Truesdell’s 1926 monograph Farm population of the United States. An Analysis of the 1920 Farm Population Figures. The correspondence includes parts of the original draft of the manuscript and critical comments from reviewers.

Subseries C. Census of Puerto Rico
Box 1, Folders 4-16
This census of population and agriculture in Puerto Rico was undertaken by the Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration (PRRA) in 1935.Truesdell was placed in charge of the tabulation phase of the project in 1936. Most of the correspondence in this subseries concerns the production of the consolidated volume on the census, entitled, in English, Census of Puerto Rico :1935. Population and Agriculture. The correspondence is primarily between Truesdell and E.D. (Everett Dana) Brown, his administrative assistant in San Juan; S.L. (Sol Luis) Descartes, a member of the faculty of the University of Puerto Rico; and Willard H. Smith, assistant chief of the Population Division of the Bureau of the Census in Washington, D.C. Other correspondence concerns a personnel matter and Truesdell’s “vigorous protest” regarding the publication of Wenzell Brown’s book Dynamite on our Doorstep: Puerto Rican Paradox, which was published in 1945.

In addition to correspondence, this subseries contains newspaper clippings, statistical tables, three bulletins containing the first published results of the census, and Truesdell’s report on his trip to Puerto Rico in 1943.

The correspondence with the Bureau of the Census, E.D. Brown, and S.L. Descartes was originally filed in reverse chronological order. It has been re-filed in chronological order to correspond to the arrangement in the rest of the papers.

Subseries D. Proposed farm census of Puerto Rico
Box 1, Folder 17
In April of 1945, Truesdell went to Puerto Rico to begin work on a proposed census of agriculture. Because of the unavailability of satisfactory assistants and because the cost of the census would exceed the monies available for it, the project was cancelled. In addition to correspondence, this subseries includes newspaper clippings, form letters, an expense account, and the proposed 1945 Farm Schedule.

Subseries E. Puerto Rico correspondence after 1940
Box 1, Folders 18-27
The correspondence in this subseries is between Truesdell and various colleagues in Puerto Rico and the United States. His original arrangement has been retained. This subseries includes other material such as a list of the census districts in Puerto Rico, a map of their location, and newspaper clippings. Truesdell’s arrangement of this material has been retained. The six 1940 bulletins of population for Puerto Rico which were listed on page five of Truesdell’s inventory for this section of his papers are missing.

Subseries F. The Canadian Born in the United States
Box 2, Folders 1-7
The correspondence in this subseries is related to the publication of Truesdell’s 1943 monograph The Canadian Born in the United States. The subseries also includes parts of Norman L. Gold’s unpublished manuscript about Canadian and American immigration policy, distribution lists, book reviews, and a catalog from Yale University Press.

Subseries G. Sex and Age of International Migrants
Box 2, Folders 8-10
This 1953 monograph entitled Sex and Age of International Migrants: Statistics for 1918-1947 was sponsored by the United Nations Department of Social Affairs, Population Division. This subseries contains correspondence related to its publication as well as the original manuscript of the book.

Subseries H. Farm Population 1880-1950
Box 2, Folder 11
This monograph entitled Farm Population: 1880 to 1950 was published by the Bureau of the Census in 1960. This subseries contains material related to the publication of the manuscript, including an unfinished article about the farm population of the United States; criticism of the manuscript; comments by reviewers and counter-comments by the author; and the final pages of the manuscript.

Subseries I. The Development of Punch Card Tabulation
Box 2, Folder 12
This monograph entitled The Development of Punch Card Tabulation in the Bureau of the Census, 1890-1940 was published in 1965. In addition to correspondence this subseries includes cost estimates for publication of the book, comments from reviewers and “experimental tally sheets” for collecting data.

Subseries J. Correspondence related to specified reprints
Box 2, Folder 13
This subseries contains correspondence related to articles written by Truesdell for various professional journals between 1924 and 1949.

Series 3. Professional correspondence
Boxes 2-3
The correspondence in this series has been taken from several sections of Truesdell’s original inventory of his correspondence. The material labeled “professional activities” was originally in the section he called “minor activities” and is arranged by topic. Truesdell's arrangement of the other correspondence in this series has been retained. The correspondence with other statisticians is arranged alphabetically by correspondent. The correspondence on specific topics and the interoffice memoranda are arranged chronologically. The letter to President Taft was regarding a raise in Truesdell’s pay, which he later received.

Series 4. Personal correspondence
Box 3, Folders 5-8
This series contains material taken from Truesdell's inventory of his correspondence and the section of his inventory that he labeled “minor activities”. Truesdell wrote several letters to women's colleges asking if there were any exceptions to their requirement that applicants pass an exam in Latin. The correspondence regarding pronunciation primarily concerns Truesdell’s criticism of a pamphlet entitled A Short-Cut to Correct Pronunciation, which was published by the Better English Institute of America in 1946. A copy of the pamphlet is included in the folder. His correspondence with Brown faculty members includes letters from W.H.P. Faunce, President of Brown University from 1899 to 1929; Alexander Meikeljohn, Dean of the College from 1901 to 1912; Lindsay Todd Damon, Professor of English; and Walter G. Everett, Professor of philosophy. The letter dated 1967 was to a librarian at Brown University regarding a question Truesdell had about a quotation from Charles Darwin.

Series 5. Education
Boxes 3-4
This series contains material taken from several sections of Truesdell’s original inventory, including “List X. Miscellaneous items” and “List H. Early manuscripts”. It includes papers written during his academic career as well as material written for classes that he took because of personal interest. The "Prize Essays" were written in competition for various prizes given for the best essay or performance in a debate on a particular topic. “Delta class” was a discussion class made up of young men who were members of the First Congregational Church in Washington, D.C. This folder includes a photograph of the class taken by Truesdell in 1914. The material labeled “Evening school classes in economics” is from a class that Truesdell taught from 1922 to 1925 at the YMCA School in Washington, D.C., the Washington School of Accountancy and the National School of Accountancy.

Series 6. Manuscripts
Boxes 4-5
Almost all of the manuscripts in this series were written by Truesdell as part of his work as a professional demographer and statistician from 1911 to 1970. His personal writings include two short stories, poems, and biographical material compiled for the Historical Society of Rowe, Vermont. A complete list of the titles of these manuscripts is included in the following sections of Truesdell's original inventory: "List K. Early manuscripts", "List M. Manuscripts", "List N. Verse manuscripts", "List Q. Criticisms and translations", and "List R. Letters to the editor". The manuscripts numbered M-56 through M-58 were not included in the papers. Correspondence is included with some of the manuscripts.

Series 7. Reprints
Box 6, Folders 1-5
This series contains reprints of Truesdell's early writings while he as a student at the Leland and Gray Seminary as well as reprints of some of his professional publications. The reprints are dated from 1902 to 1972. A list of these titles, including Truesdell's notes on some of the contents, may be found in the section labeled "Reprints and minor publications on official business" in Truesdell's original inventory.

Series 8. Personal and biographical
Box 6, Folders 6-11
This series contains biographical material about Truesdell and the Truesdell family as well as material related to Truesdell's personal interests. The personal background material includes a list of Truesdell's official appointments in Washington, D.C. between 1911 and 1968 as well as several photographs of him. Two of the photographs were taken at his family's home in Massachusetts when Truesdell was two years old and again at the same place when he was eighty-two. Truesdell served on the finance committee of the Cosmos Club from 1953 to 1963. Buff Wyandotte's are the breed of chickens that Truesdell raised on his farm prior to entering Brown University. The blueprint was produced as part of a summer job Truesdell held while at Brown.

Additional biographical material may be found in manuscript numbers 73 and 74 in Series 6. Manuscripts, and reprint numbers 49.1 and 49.2 in Series 7. Reprints.